Black Caps report card: Best and the rest from Aussie Series

By Kris Shannon

After the Black Caps were swept 2-0 in their test series against Australia, the Herald grades the performance of the squad.

Tom Latham
124 runs at average of 31; three catches

Latham responded when the Black Caps most needed him, setting the tone and offering hope with 73 in their final innings of the series. Had his poor form continued - having earlier contributed a combined 51 runs to three paltry totals - a second straight heavy defeat would have been the likely result. Conversely, had the opener kicked on and made a score of real significance, Australia’s target might have been beyond even their extensive reach.

Mark: C

Will Young
39 runs at 9.8; five catches

Life can’t be easy for Young, shuffled in and out of the line-up across the formats, asked to fill whatever role is required. After forming a series-clinching partnership with Kane Williamson while batting at No 5 against South Africa, his elevation to open in place of the injured Devon Conway was less fruitful, recording a top score of 15. A safe pair of hands, at least, in a team boasting few.

Mark: D

Kane Williamson
77 runs at 19.3; one catch

Williamson’s underperformance was one of the disappointments of the summer, only once managing to combat Australia’s vaunted attack. But to employ a favoured athlete banality: it is what is is. Let’s instead check in briefly on the Goat debate. Williamson has now played 11 tests against Australia, winning one and losing nine. Sir Richard Hadlee beat the transtasman rivals six times while losing nine in 23 attempts.

Mark: C-

Rachin Ravindra
145 runs at 36.3; one wicket at 26; one catch

Hopefully, Ravindra will one day hold a few fond memories from the biggest test series to date in his young career. After all, he did lead an underwhelming batting unit in runs, average and a high score of 82. However, for the next few days, the 24-year-old is likely replaying only one moment from eight days of cricket: his final-morning drop of Mitch Marsh, who was on 28 and allowed to make a pivotal 80 in Australia’s successful chase.

Mark: B

Daryl Mitchell
111 runs at 27.8; two catches

Set aside Mitchell’s lost-in-translation remark about results being inconsequential (the source language being internal team-speak nonsense). The No 5 was one of the few batters who showed he was up for the fight, even if that never translated to the type of influential knock for which he’s become known. Having grown up in Perth, he appeared ready to mix it up in the middle, though would’ve been dismayed by a sole half-century.

Mark: C+

Tom Blundell
64 runs at 16; seven catches, one stumping

Since scoring 90 against England last February, Blundell has averaged 10.4 in 14 test innings. In this series, only once did he come close to the type of knock his team needed, entering at 29-4 in the first innings in Wellington and notching 33 in a decent stand with Glenn Phillips. Batting at No 6 now seems beyond him, though his wicketkeeping remains exemplary.

Mark: C-

Glenn Phillips
90 runs at 22.5; six wickets at 14.3; one catch

This was a promising series for Phillips, making valuable contributions in all three facets without quite managing a match-winning display. His most eye-catching performance came in Australia’s second innings at the Basin, ripping through the middle order to record 5-45. With the bat, the 27-year-old added a handy 71 in Wellington but his next-best score was 16. A gully grab to remove Marnus Labuschagne for 90 will live long in the memory.

Mark: B

Scott Kuggeleijn
Two wickets at 66.5; 70 runs at 17.5; one catch

It said much for the 32-year-old’s displays that Tim Southee, seemingly a staunch ally, could defend the selection only with the 44 runs Kuggeleijn scored in the second innings in Christchurch and the two “important” wickets he claimed in Wellington. Kuggeleijn was dropped on two in that innings and, while he played some good shots, the runs weren’t enough. As for the wickets, they came while Australia made 383 - the highest total of the series - to set up a 172-run victory.

Mark: F

Matt Henry
17 wickets at 15.7; 101 runs at 25.3

Being awarded player of the series while his team lost both matches is a mark of Henry’s effectiveness, having collected a five-wicket haul in each test. Getting the ball to move both ways off the surface, he dismissed Usman Khawaja three times and added fellow opener Steve Smith on a couple of occasions. To top if off, only three teammates outscored Henry, leading the Black Caps with five sixes and a strike rate of 115.

Mark: A+

Tim Southee
Four wickets at 61.3; 34 runs at 8.5; two catches

Another tough series for the skipper, coming after he claimed only two wickets against a second-string South Africa. At 35, Southee may struggle to recapture his strike ability with the new ball, lacking pace and penetration in seam-friendly conditions. The final innings in Christchurch would have been particularly painful, when even a slightly improved effort would have delivered a famous victory in his 100th test. As captain, through selection and tactics, the first test was a debacle.

Mark: E

Ben Sears
Five wickets at 32.2; one catch

The second test should, fitness permitting, be the start of a long and successful test career for the 26-year-old. Added an element of extra pace to an attack that lacked it, swung the ball to trouble the batters and played with an exuberance that delighted the crowd (and photographers generally chagrined by the Black Caps’ dreary celebrations). Sears’ maiden test scalp - deceiving an all-time great in Smith into shouldering arms - was one to cherish.

Mark: B+

Will O’Rourke
Two wickets at 49

Essentially bowled only in the series’ first innings, given he was forced to abandon his run-up less than eight overs into the second. Took the wickets of Travis Head and Mitchell Starc while delivering the same bounce, if not control, that brought him a record debut haul against South Africa. Is it too much to ask to one day see a pace attack of O’Rourke, Sears and Kyle Jamieson?

Mark: C

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission